Life in Sim City
by Thirteen Little Dreams
Summary: Based on My Sims Agents. From Runaway to Detective to Special Agent, follow Dee and her pal Buddy on their rise to glory! Several pairings.
1. I: The Runaway

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing but the ideas. (...and Dee. Dee is mine!)_

_Note: I'm not recopying that on any other chapters. Just know that I **do not** own anything, 'kay?_

* * *

"You're unneeded!"

_I know._

"You don't belong here!"

_I know._

"No one wants you here!"

_I know._

"You should just disappear, you demon!"

_I know._

_I know, alright? I know. I don't belong here. I don't belong anywhere._

* * *

I walked onwards, onwards, resisting the urge to look back. I was tired, hungry, wet, cold, and miserable. The sudden downpour wasn't helping me very much, but at the very least, no one would know the difference between the cool rain and the warm tears streaming down my face.

I trudged onwards, one step after another. I wanted so badly to look back, so badly to run back, so badly to return. But no. I wouldn't. I wouldn't muster enough courage up to return to that place. I wouldn't be able to muster enough spirit to heal the wounds inflicted upon my heart every time they said those words.

I wanted so badly to disappear. Maybe...Maybe everyone _would_ be better off if I had never been born, had never existed.

So this is how I'll disappear, I thought. I'll run away.

I'll run far. I'll run to a place they can't hurt me.

I'll run to where I'm needed.

I'll run to the warmth of a true family.

I'll run to a place where people won't curse my very being, where having been born isn't a sin.

But for the moment, I'd settle for this, the cold company of the rain, as I long for the warm feeling of home...

* * *

I can't ever seem to finish any story. Let's hope I get somewhere with this one.

*Crosses fingers*


	2. II: Worried

I awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling, in a comfortable bed in a small, dimly lit room.

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed a small bedside table with a lamp and a picture frame on it.

I pulled the string on the lamp and the room lit up.

It was, I decided, actually pretty big. In fact, I bet three elephants could fit in there with space left over.

It was just overcrowded with all this art stuff. How could any person live here? There were canvases stained with oil paints and sketchbooks left carelessly on the floor. It was a hazardous environment to survive in, especially with that lingering scent of paint fumes.

I groaned as I forced myself up. Every joint in my body hurt from overuse. My stomach rumbled, my last "meal" having been a full 48 hours or so ago. And my leg...I wish I had seen that ladder before it fell.

I knew I was in no condition to continue, but I couldn't stay here.

I wanted to keep moving.

I wanted to run.

I was going to that special place in my mind.

And nothing was going to stop me.

Suddenly a voice came from beyond the door.

"Hey!" this stupid-faced guy said with this ridiculously large grin. "You're up already!"

He walked right up to me and one thought came to mind when I got a closer look at him.

Nerd.

He was wearing a red Spiderman hoodie with jeans and had a cap with a single golden star on it that hid his golden locks.

That would normally describe some really cool guy who like Spiderman, right?

Let's just say this guy wasn't all that.

"You know, you're pretty lucky! Having the energy to move around so quickly! What were you doing all soaked in the rain, anyway?"

"None of your business," I snapped.

He was still smiling. It irked me to no end. What would it take to wipe that silly grin of his face?

"Anyway, how you doing? You can't be feeling all too good if you collapsed from a light drizzle like that."

"Didn't I say it was none of your business?"

"Aw, come on. I'm worri-"

The next thing I knew, he was staring at me with big eyes, a palm mark red on his cheek. My own hand stung.

"Leave me alone," I ordered. Quietly, he obeyed.

I waited until I knew he wasn't there anymore before getting up on my feet. It was no good; I was to weak to even walk. I stumbled into the wall, holding on for support. I groped my way into the hallway, then out the door.

I made it as far as halfway down the street before I took a nasty spill into a puddle. I laid there, panting, tears forming in my eyes.

I heard what I thought to be a train. No whistle or smell, so I was guessing some form of bullet train. A Light Rail perhaps? I kept speculating, anything to keep my mind off of the agony I was going through.

It hurt.

Was this it?

The end?

I felt all my energy drain away.

So it seemed I couldn't make it there in the end.

So it seemed...

My world faded to black.

I awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling, in a comfortable bed in a small, dimly lit room.

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed a small bedside table with a lamp and a picture frame on it.

And I sighed when I realized that Blondie was back for Round 2.

"Are you okay? You were just lying there in the middle of the street like a c-corpse! I thought you'd gone and died on me! I thought I was guilty of manslaughter! I-I thought-!"

"Shh...Quiet. I'm going to sleep."

He quickly nodded. "Oh! Right. Sleep. Well, good night!"

He left the room. I pulled the blanket over my head, and decided that once I was all rested up, I'd keep going.

I didn't know why, but a smile had glued itself to my face.

* * *

Yay! Chapter 2 iis finished! I might actually finish this!


	3. III: Budding Idea

"So, so! Who are you? Where'd you come from? Why're you here?"

I cringed at Blondie's overly enthusiastic interrogation. The guy was way too hyper for this time of morning.

"Sorry, but could you tone down the happy a bit, bud? Some of us don't work too well when we've just woken up."

"Oh! Sorry! But you sleep loooooong. It's already one in the afternoon! And here I've been worried that you were sick or something!"

I sighed. Yep, there was no stopping his enthusiasm. Although, having been in his place for the past few days (he wouldn't let me leave for ANYTHING after my first attempt to escape) I should have been used to it.

"Oh! Oh! And I almost forgot! You don't know anything about me, right? Right?"

"I know enough, Mr. Artist-who-takes-in-stray-cats-and-won't-rest-until-he-gets-them-a-home."

"Woah...How'd you know that?"

"You have a litterbox and cat food, along with special milk, but even though there are signs of recent cat activity, there are none of actual cats living here. There's no smell from rooms that cats would normally explore and there're no pictures of cats. In short, you take on strays but don't keep them. Knowing your character, you probably realized that you can't keep a cat. Landlord issues perhaps? Anyway, you probably can't abandon the strays so you go around looking for owners. Of course, the latter half of my explanation still needs proof, but you pretty much comfirmed that you do."

I suddenly regretted opening my big mouth when I saw how his eyes glittered.

"That's so cool! You're like a real detective!"

"Buddy..." I said warily.

"You know, you could open up a detective agency!"

"Hey, buddy, I don't..."

"And you even figured out my name! You are a super genuis!"

_'It's no good,'_ I thought. _'He's too far gone!'_

"But...to start an agency, we'd need a base of operations..." He looked at me with these pitiful puppy eyes that put me on the verge of tears just looking. "Dee..."

"D-Don't just shorten my name!" I stammered in a desperate attempt to derail this line of thought. No. No, no, no, no, no, not in a million years would I even THINK about opening an agency. I needed to keep going! I didn't want anything to weigh me down...

"Do you know of any place, Dee?" He was practically begging with those eyes...

"O-Obviously not! You haven't let me out in the least bit!" Please, please, please drop this subject...

"That's right! Which means I have to decide! Where should we go? The park? The forest? Oh, maybe Town Square near the train station..."

He gave me the eye again. "What should we do?"

"I don't know!" I wailed. It's no good. I can't say no to those eyes!

"I'm going out to scout out places, Dee! Stay put or I'll tie you up again!"

And so he left, leaving me sighing. Oh, my...

I had just about enough of waiting and was out of the house four hours later.

I went for a stroll through the streets. I had taken a purple sleeveless that bore a crescent moon on it and jeans from Buddy's closet (though WHY in the world he had such girly clothing I do not and NEVER want to know) and was near the park when I heard a little girl.

"Dogwood!" she sobbed. "Where'd you go? Dogwood!"

I took a peek at her. She was small, maybe around seven or eight, black hair tied up in pigtails, and donning overalls. She was a mess with that tear-stained face of hers. She suddenly spotted me and ran up to me, clinging and and crying. Darn it...Tears. Another weakness of mine.

I knelt down and patted her head. "There, there...What's wrong?"

"M-My dog...D-Dogwood..." she cried. "H-He...He's gone! Violet always s-said I wasn't r-ready to take care of him. A-And now look! He's gone!"

She cried and cried and cried that dog's name that I sorta pitied her.

"Maybe I can help," I said, forcing a comforting smile. She looked up at me with these big eyes of her. She took my hand and thanked me so many times that I think it reached the hundreds.

"Alright, so tell me everything. Every little detail you can remember will help."

"D-Dogwood, he's this really cute and fluffy little puppy. He's small a-and light tan and he really like balls, especially this really pink one at home. We were in the park, watching the flower stand. I looked away for one second and...and...!"

"I see...Can you show me your flower stand?"

"Sure...this way."

She led me to the side of the park, where this neatly arranged flower stand stood in place. I noticed that the grass nearrby had been stepped on, which was strange because A) there was a fine for not sticking to the pavement and B) it was too small to be human footprints anyway. From the pattern of the footprints, it was a four-legged animal. There was a small amount of tannish fur on one of the footprints, furthering my suspicion of it being Dogwood's.

I decided to follow the prints (I'd pay the fine later) and wound up at this tunnel looking thing. The footprints stopped there but looked as if they continued on the other side of the tunnel.

And so I went through, ending up in this forest looking area. I heard barking a bit further on, and followed the sound.

Yep, I found Dogwood...and some unwanted trouble.

This blond guy (who isn't Buddy for future reference) who seemed to like black a bit too much held up the poor pup by his tail. He was honest-to-goodness cackling. I didn't know that people still cackled in this day and age.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. He dropped the dog in shock.

"Who are you? What are YOU doing here?"

"I was hired to find that dog," I retorted. I guess I was hired. Though...My client didn't look as if she could give me anything.

"Well you can't have it! It's mine now!"

And here I dropkicked him. I was grateful for those karate lessons I took a few years back. People like that make me so...Well, never mind.

So here I was, in the middle of the forest, with an unconscious person and the dog. Sighing, I dragged the guy to the wayside so that he wouldn't get in other people's way, then I picked up the dog and headed back to the girl.

"Dogwood!" she smiled when she saw the dog. It ran right up to her and licked her face. " sooooo much, Miss!"

"You're welcome," I said before turning around. If I wasn't home soon, Buddy was sure to tie me up and stuff me in the closet again!

"You're an awesome detective!" the little beamed.

"I...guess."

"Where's your agency? I saw on TV that _all_ detectives have one."

"It's hidden."

"What? That's awesome! But how're you gonna get clients?"

"I don't want any at the moment."

"I see...Well, as thank you for finding Dogwood, I'll get you a present! Be right back!"

"Hey, wait!" I called after her. She ran away quickly, leaving me standing there. I took a seat on a nearby bench, waiting. If I left, I'd have a bigger mess than if Buddy found out that I went out, I figured.

She returned with this Italian looking guy. A chef to the local pizzaria, I decided, due to the grease on his sleeve, the smell of pizza on his chef clothes, and, most importantly, his hat.

"Uncle Gino!" the little girl said, dragging the poor man through the streets. "This nice detective saved Dogwood! Can you please give her free pizza?"

"Now, Poppy," Gino chuckled nervously, "business was been slow for a while, remember? I can't afford to give anything frre right now."

"But...But...Uncle Gino!" she whined. "!"

"A-Alright, alright. Now, who are you, detective?"

Here I smiled. "My name's DeeDee, but just call me Dee."

Thank you, Buddy, for calling me that ridiculous nickname. Now people will know why. Or at least they'll think they do.

"Detective Dee, huh," Gino said, rubbing his chin and thinking things over. "Well, if there's anything I can do to repay you..."

"It's okay. Just give me a free favor to use, and we'll call it even," I said rather coolly.

"Deal," Gino nodded.

However, our carefree attitude set Poppy off so she and Gino were off on a fight about what my reward should be. I tuned them out, thinking of what would be the best way to explain all this to Buddy...

"Buddy!" I shouted, causing the two to jerk in surprise. I looked over to them and apologized. "I really, really need to get going. But thank you so much for your kind offer, Sir!"

Not really processing that I accepted the offer, I ran back to Buddy's place. I went through the back window in the kitchen and took a dive into the living room.

I looked around, and sighed in sweet relief. No Buddy yet. I collapsed on his couch and fell asleep.

When I woke up, Buddy was hovering frantically over me. I instinctively punched him to get some quiet.

"Owie...what did you do that for, Dee?" he whined, clutching his nose.

"Like I said, could you tone it down a bit? Some of us don't really like to be woken up. And relax, your nose isn't broken."

Then he looked down, dejected. "I can't do anything right today...I couldn't even find a place to use as a headquarters..." he whimpered. He looked absolutely pitiful, crunched up in a ball on the floor, drawing circles with his finger...

I whipped out a notebook and wrote a note to Gino. "Here...take this to the pizzaria. There's a chef there named Gino...Give him this note. You can do that, can't you?"

He whimpered as he took the note and dragged himself out the door.

Not ten minutes later he burst through the door looking super happy.

"Dee! Guess what! Gino, that chef, he told me that for a pizza everyday we could use his pizzaria as base! Can you believe it! What a stroke of luck! Haha! See! Who's the top dog now!"

As he went on celebrating I smiled. Maybe this little idea wouldn't be that bad.


	4. IV: Bubbling Emotions

Time kept moving forward. A few months had passed and business was been as good as it gets in a small town like this.

Gino had been awesome. Because it's really unhealthy for Buddy and I to live on pizza everyday, I worked out a deal with him. The two of us do odd jobs for him like delivering his famous pie to someone's doorstep or taking his trash to the local dump or handling his finances. (Who knew the great Gino was clumsy when it came to numbers?)

And so time passed by in this sleepy town.

I hadn't noticed how at home I had begun to feel here.

I hadn't noticed how natural it was to walk into the hair salon and ask Shirley, the local hair stylist (who I think needs serious help on her own hair because her pink up-do looks more like a strawberry cake) for the latest insider info.

I hadn't noticed that I knew that if I wanted to know about the city's newests additions, Luis at the newsstand had it.

I hadn't noticed how I always could rely on Poppy and, on occasion, Dogwood handing me an iris every time we met.

I hadn't noticed that I could tell no matter how long I waited, Patrick's work at the construction site never got finished.

I hadn't noticed when I started calling this place home.

I probably wouldn't have ever noticed if it weren't for that one stormy night.

I was looking out of Buddy's bedroom window during a local blackout, admiring the falling rain. Rain always made me amazed yet sad. It seemed to me as if the heavens were crying over the sins of the Earth...and over mine as well.

I had often wondered if those people were worried about me. I knew for a fact that my twin was...It was one of those rare times I regretted leaving.

Each little droplet on the windowpane drew my attention, craved for it, yearned for it. I was being pulled a million ways at once.

I was rather distracted, but it didn't change the fact that I was careless.

And so when the police came to my doorstep, I shouldn't have been surprised in the least.

But I was. And that made all the difference.

Buddy saw my shock and answered the door.

The man on the other side was big and gruff. He had this permanent scowl plastered on that scarred face of his, and he looked like he could send my poor friend flying a few thousand miles.

"Excuse me," he frowned, "I'm Officer Bubbles. Sorry to bother you, but have you seen this young lady?"

He held up my picture. Even in the dim light I could still tell it was me. I'd recognize that picture anywhere.

_Oh, no! Buddy, please, please don't let him know..._

"Sure I have!" he grinned. I could have throttled him. Or cried. At that point I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.

"May I see her?" the scary policeman growled.

"Nope!"

Now I was really confused. What was he-?

"She's out taking Poppy shopping. Dee's a lot like her older sister, you know. They've been together since Poppy was born!" he smiled like the idiot he was.

"I see...Now how old is Poppy?"

"She's turning seven this year!"

I felt a pit settle in my stomach. I think it was guilt. Now not only do I have to deal with my crimes, I've gotten Buddy mixed up in this dangerous game, too.

"So this...Dee. She's been here for a very long time?"

"Yep! For the longest time! We've been together for the longest time, too!"

"Is Dee her name?"

"Nope! It's just what I call her instead of her real name. She always gets mad because she thinks it's a ridiculous nickname."

"So what's her real name?"

I froze. Buddy was the only one who knew my actual name. What if he blurted it out?

"Her name is..."

Time slowed down a bit for me here as panic consumed me.

(Yes, I know this is very melodramatic, but I was scared to death!)

"DeeDee Fey," Buddy smiled.

"Fey?"

"Yep. Fey. Can you believe it? Personally, I think she's a descendant of that spiritual lady. You know, Morgan le Fey! Dude, she could be a Morganian in disguise! You know, like in that newest movie, the Wizard's Student!"

I took his rambling the guy's ear off to put on a raincoat and sneak off through the back window. If he was going to put himself at risk, then I could, too.

I ran over to Poppy's first. Her sister Violet greeted me at the door. I quickly explained what had just transpired at Buddy's, leaving out a few key details like _why_ the officer was there, before the three of us came up with a cover story. Thank goodness for Violet. I never would have thought about spreading the word about it in case others were questioned.

I walked back home leisurely, thinking, acting as if I had no idea that a cop had tracked me down. As I thought, I wondered why I didn't just run. I'd done so so many times. How many backs had I stabbed, how many people had I trampled on, how many lies had I told just to keep my freedom?

The answer came to me instantly. I may have been willing to hurt those countless amounts of people, but this...this was home now. I didn't want to leave.

And if all went well tonight, I never would was the only thought runnning through my head. I had to make sure to pull this off!

I walked up to the officer and tapped his shoulder.

"Excuse me, but some people need to get into their houses," I scowled. _Brave face now. Don't let yourself get scared now._

"Sorry, Ma'am," he said apologetically. "Just doin' my...Hey! You're Deana. You're Deana Fenton aren't you?"

"Deana?" I asked, eyebrow raised. "Who the heck is that? And what kind of last name is Fenton?"

"Don't play dumb," he growled. "The entire police force has been looking for you under the orders of your mother, Vinne Fenton."

"Once more with the stupid names," I said indifferently. "Who names their kid 'Vinne'? As for you, if you've got no proof that I'm this...'Deana' then you've got to go. It's late and I have work to do tomorrow."

I waved him off and slammed the door in his face, sighing in both relief and anxiety. That would not be the last I heard from him.

And I was right. I really wish that I could be wrong sometimes. Being wrong seemed so much better at the time.

Bubbles stalked me over the next week and a half. Far be it from me to hurt a public server but darn it, why didn't he just give up already?

By the end of the week I'd had it. I walked right up to where he was hidden poorly in the bushes and screamed, "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

I was two words away from kicking him two miles away, and he knew it. Cautiously he stood up and spoke slowly, as if I were a rabid animal.

"Now, Deana..." he tried to reason.

"If you want proof I'm DeeDee and not this 'Deana' you keep goin' on about, ask the townsfolk instead of following me, you creep!"

He actually thought about it. He actually _thought_ about it. That was it. I was going up to the mayor to complain about the quality of law enforcement.

He did in fact question everyone. He started with Luis.

"Dee?" he asked incredulously. "Her arrival's old news! The latest update is her solving the case of missing ingredients for Gino."

"Dee? What about her, hon?" Shirley frowned. "The gal's been here since, like, wheels were invented. Now why don't you have your hair done? You look like you'll need it."

"Dee's the girl to see, that's what I always say," Rhonda smiled. "Even though she's been around for the looooooooooongest time, she just recently started that fancy detective agency of hers!"

"Go away! I don't want to talk about that loser detective," Derek scowled.

And it went on in a similar fashion. All of them said I had been there for a while. I had only run away from home a few months prior so the timeline shouldn't add up. Meaning they would eliminate me from the list of possible candidates of being Deana.

And indeed Bubbles conceded defeat. He showed up on my doorstep the day before he left.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, Ma'am," he said clutching his nose. I hoped the stain on my sneakers wouldn't stay on forever...

I watched in triumph as Bubbles rode away to find his next lead.

I smiled as a warm feeling filled my chest.

I was going to have to thank everyone later. Maybe I'd treat them to pizza.

I was finally home.


	5. V: The Strangest Thing

Fall came and went. Halloween was so much fun, and Thanksgiving at Poppy's next door was delicious. (For those who don't know, starting from the end of the street where the construction site is, the order from right to left of the owner's of the houses would be Poppy and Violet's place, Buddy and mine, Butter who is this annoying girl, then this Witch named Wendalyn.)

Winter soon grasped my tiny town in its icy fingers, and soon the town was dressed in a veil of white, the bright lights the only true color to the place. Winter was the most amazing time of year, I thought. It turned such a plain city into a beautiful Wonderland, a blank sheet of paper to begin anew, another page to add to my Book of Life.

It was always this time of year that something changed for me.

Before, it was always something small. I'd become a little taller, or I'd lose a tooth, or I'd dye/bleach my hair, or I'd get that rare compliment.

This year...I was changing my name, my home, my family.

It was exciting and scary. I was living in a whole other world here.

And I was going to make the best of it.

Pretty soon it was a few days before Christmas. I'd gone out (finally Buddy trusted me enough to know I was not going to be stupid enough to run away anymore) to the market and bought construction paper, cardboard, some cloth, stuffing, and a set of sewing needles.

Using the paper first, I created an orange poppy flower intertwined with an indigo violet (I've always found it strange that violets were blue) in a dark purple vase decorated with lavender. It was difficult, but I finally made a design that was both cheery and dark at the same time. I smiled as I pressed my creation into a golden frame. The two were going to love this.

Next on my list was Gino. I pulled out a shiny golden cloth I'd gotten half-price and was making a trophy pillow with his likeness on it and the words "#1 Chef" in a darker yellow on a fake plaque. It was a difficult project but...Gino had been very kind to me. Most people had. And I wanted to pay them back.

I was going to pay them back. I wouldn't be here without them.

I hadn't noticed when I'd fallen asleep. All I knew is that when I woke up, a warm, red coat had been placed on top of me.

I smiled. Buddy. Who else could it be?

I looked over to my present. It was halfway finished, but looking good. The needles had been put away neatly, I noted, and cloths had been set aside in a fashion that could be easily reached. I inspected the fabrics further to find that some of the light blue cloth was missing. I checked out the needles sat, as well, to find one gone.

I shrugged it off. He probably misplaced them, despite the fact that the evidence pointed to his being very careful with my stuff...

I couldn't even fool myself. Darn it, being a detective made lying to myself so much harder! And if curiousity killed the cat, it may claim my life as well. Why did Buddy take my stuff?

_No. No sleuthing. Everyone's being kind enough to hold off their problems 'till New Year's. Absolutely no work, got it, Dee?_

Nodding, I headed off to the kitchen. There I saw the object of my wonders sitting seemingly nonchalantly at the counter, doodling away. While he attempted to feign indifference, I noticed how panicked he looked whenever I moved/spoke. What was he up to?

_Dee! Behave! No work=No Sleuthing. That means absolutely no being snoopy, Little Miss Detective!_

"Dee...? You okay? Why're you shaking your head like that?"

"I-I'm fine," I answered. _I've got to get away from him!_

I grabbed some raspberry juice and took a stroll down the street. The pure blank vastness in front of me called out, asking to be explored...

I sat down on a bench in Town Square. Luis had taken the day off, so I was all alone with my thoughts which were frustratingly uncooperative. Being a detective sure has its cons...I've become so used to observing small details that I can't ignore them anymore! And Buddy wasn't exactly helping.

What was he planning?

I bit my lip and stared down the road to the turnabout where our building resided. My eyes widened when I realized that it sorta resembled a Yang sign. Smiling, I fingered the chain around my neck. I wondered how she was doing. It was almost Christmas, and it would be the first time we wouldn't be together for it. We had never been apart before I left home (except for our private lessons). Guilt tinged my thoughts a bit, and it was one of those times I almost regretted leaving. It almost didn't seem worth it if I had to leave her behind.

Almost.

But Buddy and Gino and Poppy and Violet and everyone else had made it worthwhile. I could no longer imagine not ever coming here, not ever living here. Heck, I'd tie myself up to a chair in the same room as Derek _and_ Butter if it meant never having to leave.

I decided that my break was over and headed home. I found Butter's cousin Daniel hovering in front of the Flower Pair's door.

"Here for Violet?" I asked. He near jumped out of his skin.

"Ah, um, you see..." he stammered, trying to get his thoughts in order. I smirked. He was always such a timid boy, the exact opposite of Butter really, so he kept his dating Violet as much a secret as he could.

"She went out to help Poppy's Christmas shopping. She'll be back in an hour or so."

"I-Is that so? Not that I care. N-Nope. ...Thanks, Dee," he said plainly as he made his way back to Butter's place. He tries too hard, I thought shaking my head as I made my way in myself.

"I'm home, Buddy," I called out. Silence greeted me. "...Buddy? Bud, where are you?"

"ABAKADOOBIE!"

A puff of smoke appeared in the center of the living room. As it cleared, both Buddy and this old man who had a magical aura dressed in a blue robe came into view.

"Should I ask...?" I sighed. Buddy and I had a knack for attracting weirdoes, but this topped it all.

"Dee!" Buddy cried. He clung to my coat as he hid behind me. I stared at the visitor, demanding his name.

"I am the great Wizard Marlon! I've come from far away to visit a friend of mine for Christmas. Er, sorry about that Buddy. I didn't mean to take you with me when I went on a quick _poof_ home."

"So who's this friend of yours?"

"Why, she's this Wonder Witch named Wendalyn! Amazing youngling, only 116 and already so talented."

"...Two houses thatta way."

"Ah, I see. Thank you very much, Dee!"

"You're very welcome. Now Buddy...do you mind letting go? I'm sorta choking here..."

"ABAKADOOBIE!"

In a puff of smoke, the odd man was gone. I decided that that would be the strangest person I ever met. Wendalyn, 116? I scoffed. She was at least 200. I turned around to face the nervous wreck under the coffee table.

"Buddy..."

"I don't wanna go back there!"

"Buddy, he's gone now. Come out from under there before the dust bunnies get you so that I can work."

He gave a small scream when I gave up on him and headed for the art studio where all my crafts lay. I faced him, eyebrows arched. What did he want_ now_?

"U-Uh, Dee!" he stuttered nervously. "D-Don't you need to go out and buy dinner?"

I thought about it. The facts were simple: We had enough leftovers/junk food to last us until Christmas. Buddy was obviously trying to keep me out of his studio. Could this be related to the missing cloth?

The question was: Did I go along with his ploy or did I point out the obvious?

_Dee...NO WORK! GO ALONG WITH IT!_

I went out to buy some ingredients for a hot dinner. It was always very strange that Buddy couldn't cook. I actually wondered how he could afford the lifestyle he had (he had the nicest house on the block). He never sold his pictures (he was very proud of them) and he didn't work at Gino's, Shirley's, or even Luis's. Nowadays my income as a detective was what kept us afloat mostly, but what about before?

I arrived back at the house and created a home-style family recipe I'd learned from my sister.

Later at the table Buddy was crying from how good it was. I wouldn't tell him anything about it, though. I didn't want to talk about it.

Time passed by quickly as I finished my last few projects (a crown for Butter and a wand for Wendalyn. I couldn't think of what else I could actually make so I went out and bought the rest. For Shirley, top-grade beauty products. Luis had quite a bit of money from me, and Rhonda had a notebook to write down all her mottos. I also got some tickets to the first ball game of the season for Derek even though it's a long time from now). I wrapped each of them up and put a tag.

Christmas Eve Buddy, Poppy, Violet, and I headed out to the Square to find an enormous pine with several beautiful ornaments on it lit up with colorful lights. It made one want to actually sing those ridiculous carols. We quietly placed our gifts under the tree.

Come the morning everyone was outside, looking eagerly to find their presents. Who got what? What'll I get? Everyone was teeming with excitement at these thoughts.

Some people like Derek ripped open their presents in broad daylight and littered the streets while they danced with their presents.

Some people like Butter flaunted their gifts in other people's faces.

Some people like Violet sat in an unseen corner with someone special and opened gifts together.

I simply picked up my presents and brought them back to the house.

I didn't want people to see what I'd gotten just yet. What I got was my business and no one else's.

That didn't mean I wasn't going to show my super-ultra-fabulously awesome presents off. I just wanted to know which ones were flashy enough to make Butter red and green later.

I sat down on the couch and opened up my presents. From Poppy and Violet I got a bouquet of camellias (I was rather happy to see they thought so highly of me*) along with a vase and instructions on how to care for it. From Gino I got coupons for his restaurant. Shirley gave me a revitalizing shampoo while I recieved a wonderful book on how to make a motto (and stick to it!) from Rhonda. Luis actually _was_ listening when I joked that all I wanted was chocolate and got me three bars. Derek got me a (fake) championship hat from the Majors, while Butter got me a signed picture of herself in a blue puffy dress. I sighed. Of course.

No matter how hard I looked, though, I couldn't find any present from Buddy.

I didn't know why, but somehow even on a holiday like this one, that made me feel like wallowing in despair.

Why didn't he give me anything?

At the very least, he could have given me a hug and said he couldn't afford anything. I'd have taken that over nothing.

I'm pretty sure that when Buddy came home to this little girl who looked like a kicked puppy, he was more than a little worried.

"Somthing wrong, Dee? You look a little down."

"I just ate one too many chocolates."

"Chocolates?" he asked. He glanced on the table and saw the bars I got from Luis. He seemed to put two and two together and smiled. "You shouldn't eat so much, you know! Lots of people are counting on you! So don't get sick, alright?"

"Got it," I said weakly.

"Need anything? You could have caught something."

"I'm fine."

I lay down and thought. The more I thought the more anxious, sad, and alone I felt.

Eventually I got sick of my inactivity and went to the kitchen.

I was surprised to see the mess that covered the floor. It seemed that Buddy was replicating the snow outside with flour and sugar.

A "ding!" came from the oven and I went over to investigate. Just before I opened it, though, Buddy screamed for help.

I rushed out to see him jumping around on one foot, crying. From how the table seemed to have shifted slightly it was obvious what had happened.

Sighing I got to work. Soon we were on the couch, him sitting with his foot bandaged, me sitting next to him.

"So..."

"What?" I asked irritably.

I hated how awkward it was between us. Normally we get along so well. Buddy gulped from my tone.

"I-Is something wrong after all? You love chocolate, so I can't think that your stomachache is your problem. ...You didn't see it, did you? Oh, no, you saw it and you hated it! I just know it! And now you're mad because I did such a terrible job at it and-"

"Buddy! Calm down and stop crying!" I panicked. "What's wrong with you should be the question! What's got you so riled up?"

"-I just know that it wasn't any good! I mean, you're a detective, of course you found it, and took a peek and thought it was worse than my cooking! And now you're mad at me for getting you such a bad present but I thought-"

"Buddy!" _It's no use! He's too far gone!_

"-that it was pretty good for my first time and I really wanted to celebrate with you because you're really special to me and-!"

"Buddy!" I shouted again, this time clasping his face in my hands. He stared at me pitifully with tears in his eyes, and he looked like he would start bawling again if I didn't do _something_.

"First, take a deep breath. Relax. Now...what're you going off about? The only thing I've found is a Winter Wonderland in the kitchen."

"A...what?" he sniffled. I led him to the kitchen and he shrunk away, laughing nervously. "Um, well, you see..."

"Buddy!" Poppy smiled as she popped out of nowhere. She saw me and frowned. "Oh, no...She didn't find it, did she?"

"No..."

"Find what? What's going on?"

Poppy and Buddy looked at each other and kicked me out of the kitchen. They locked the door behind me so all I could do was listen in on the racket they were making.

When they opened the door the kitchen was decorated with birthday things and a cake sat on the counter. A white banner that screamed, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEE!" hung from on top of the windows.

I was pretty sure that those two were pretty pleased with themselves from the smug look on their faces from the sight of my jaw dropping. And it was not my imagination when those smirks plastered themselves on their faces at how I couldn't get a single coherent thought out.

"I overheard you talking to yourself," Buddy smiled. "You were saying your birthday was comin' up. So Poppy and I planned this whole celebration out for you! ...We're not too late, are we?"

My awestruck face shifted slowly into a warm smile. "No...rather you're a little less than a month early."

"Oh, good! I didn't know what we'd do if this was all for nothing!" he grinned.

"So how do you like it?" Poppy smiled.

"It's wonderful," I said cheerily, pure happiness saturating my tone.

"We got you presents, too!" Buddy smiled. He handed me a box that was messily wrapped up in black paper tied up with a sloppy violet bow. I took it graciously and opened it.

Inside was a blue cat/rabbit thing, a messy copy of Beezelbud from an anime that I had started getting into. It seemed to be a stuffed puppet, the same azure shde as my missing cloth. So that's what he'd done with it. I put my hand into the slit in its back only to find that something else was there. Carefully I pulled out the object to find a black notebook. I recognized it immediately.

"Oh, Buddy...I can't take this. This is your precious sketchbook!"

"It's okay, Dee," he grinned that usual grin of his. "I've got a new one!"

He pulled out a red notebook decorated with a sparkling lightning sticker on top of a back web. It was spiral-bound, 152 8" x 11.5" pages. I knew that. Of course I did. I had hand-made it from scratch.

"Go on and open your new sketchpad, Dee."

And I did. I was greeted by a picture of everybody, smiling (or smirking in Butter and Derek's case), side by side. In the center were Violet, Poppy, Buddy, and I huddled together, picture perfect. Below this, though, were what brought tears to my eyes.

There were some very messily written words that I had I not been (rather forcibly) acquainted with Buddy's chicken scratch I wouldn't even be able to read. It was two very simple words, but it meant a lot to me.

_"Welcome Home"_

"Eh? Dee? Dee! Why're you crying? I'm sorry! Was it that bad? I only wanted to-"

As Buddy rambled onwards I just looked down at the picture. It was the strangest thing. I was happy, but I couldn't stop crying. I knew that I was only worrying the pair who'd worked so hard but...

I looked up and smiled at the pair, tears still pricking my eyes.

"Thank you," I said, for the first time in a long while meaning it with all my heart.

* * *

This was long and cheesy...and I like it~

Not my best work but I'm really happy at how this turned out since my specialty is sad, dark works.

At any rate, Merry Christmas and have a HaPpY nEw YeAr!


	6. VI: Realizations

Bwahahahaha! ...Ow, my head. Ugh, homework will kill me eventually. Anyway, this is the actual start of the MSA game. That's right. The rest of this was only the prolouge to the actual game. Yep. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need an ice pack...

**Disclaimer**: I know I said I'd never put this up again, but I need to say that Conan Doyle is the genius behind Sherlock Holmes, not me. So don't sue me.

* * *

My throbbing head crashed against the concrete wall. I glared at the figure in front of me who was obviously enjoying this. As much as I wanted to inflict misery and pain upon him, I could do nothing against my restraints. How in the world did I end up like this? Oh yeah, that's right. Ugh, my head...

* * *

_All the afternoon he sat in the stalls wrapped in the most perfect happiness, gently waving his long, thin fingers in time to the music-_

"ALL RIGHT! TIME TO GET TO WORK!"

_...music, while his gently smiling face and his languid, dreamy eyes were as unlike those of Holmes, the sleuth-hound, Holmes the relentless, keen-witted, ready-handed criminal agent, as it was possible to conceive. In his singular character the dual nature alternately asserted itself, and his extreme exactness and- _

"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME!"

_...and astuteness represented, as I have often thought, the reaction against the poetic and contemplative mood which occasionally predominated in him. The swing of his nature took him from extreme languor to devouring energy; and, as I knew well, he was never so truly formidable as when-_

Screams from below called attention from my book, followed by the distinct sound of something heavy crashing to the floor. Sighing, I closed the book, went to the edge of the roof, and jumped.

Before you tell me how stupid that is, the second floor balcony was right below me. I landed on it and headed inside, placing my book on a nearby table. Then I raced downstairs and was met by the (typical) sight of a certain blondie trapped under an toppled cabinet.

"Do I wanna know why you're under there?" I frowned.

"No...help?" he asked smiling meekly. I got to work digging him out from underneath.

"You really need to stop tripping over yourself," I mumbled.

He sat on the couch with a cup of tea as I organized the DVD's back into their proper placing. _'Action goes here, thriller over there on the third shelf, comedy is next to children's, horror is...why do we have horror anyway?' _I shivered, and no, I was not scared! It was the beginning of March and the cold hadn't died down yet!

"Hey...Dee?" Buddy called out after a sip.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering if you had a case to work on."

"Not at the moment, no. Why, what's up?"

"Well...I was thinking, maybe we could-"

"DEE!"

Enter Poppy. Now let's examine the scene in front of me at this moment.

Buddy jumps up, surprised, his cup of tea flying through the air.

Poppy is screaming and doesn't notice the cup hurling towards her.

I react and push her out of the way, so, of course, I'm doused with scalding hot tea.

Buddy _and_ Poppy scream and both try to go get help, Poppy by going to call Violet and Buddy by trying to get the first aid kit.

Trip. Tumble. Crash. My efforts with the DVD's have been in vain.

In the end, Buddy's in tears, Poppy's apologizing, Violet looks like she's going to snap, and I'm in bandages.

Sighing, I look up at the poor girl. "So what brings you here, Poppy? Normally work time is from when we get to Gino's to when we leave."

"It's horrible, Dee! Someone's after Dogwood!"

I was tempted to say, _'Again? Wow, your dog's pretty popular, isn't he? He didn't eat another diamond, did he?'_

"What makes you think that?" I said instead.

"This note," she said, pulling a piece of paper out of her overall pocket. "Go on, read it."

I took a look for myself. It was one of those notes where people take the time to take letters from magazine articles to form the sentences. From the looks of the letters, the girl who sent it was really into celebrity news, latest heroic updates, and perfume shopping

cataloges as well as impatient from how poorly cut out the letters were. I also recognized the distinct font of _The Sims, Simolean Times, _and _SxS: Dating Advice_. Whoever this person was, she was reading way too many misinformed magazines.

The actual note was as follows:

"_M_wA_h_a**h**_a_HA**_!_**

_**Y**oUr **D**Og wIl_ b _M**i**Ne!_

_-_**_M_**_"_

"Isn't it terrible?" Poppy asked with tears in her eyes.

"I know. They spelled 'will be' wrong!"

"Dee..."

"I was just joking, Violet. At any rate, don't worry, Poppy. I'm on it."

"Really?"

"Yes, but I'll need Dogwood to stay over for a little. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all."

"And Buddy..."

"Y-Yes...?"

"Stop crying. I'll need your help."

"R-Right..."

"All right, Poppy, if you would please tell me how to care for Dogwood."

The pooch in question was rather...excited over his temporary home. After some preparation I was all set. Poppy and Violet left Dogwood in our care (the latter of which whispered that Dogwood shouldn't eat chocolate no matter what Poppy says).

And so began the absolute most tiring night of my detective career.

Dogwood went crazy as soon as the girls left. He went around jumping all over things and barking like mad at the kitchen, and soon the room was a hurricane of plates followed by avalanches of silverware. I quietly went by his side and leashed him up. As he ran towards his next target, I pulled on the leash, forcing him to a choking halt.

"Isn't that animal abuse?" Buddy called out.

"I don't see you doing anything about it," was my reply. (Though whether I meant stopping me or stopping him's open to interpretation.)

In that short moment of diverted attention, Dogwood pulled fiercely on the leash and ran upstairs. I gave chase, running around, below, under, between, above, and all sorts of directions until I swore that my body was more pretzel than human.

Then he jumped.

Out the window.

Of the third floor.

Out the _window _of the _third_ floor.

Buddy arrived just in time to watch me tumble out the window after him. I caught the pooch midair and held him tightly, bracing for impact. I sailed through the air, both light as a feather and heavy as stone...

I landed in the garden, thankfully, so my fall was softened a little bit. The canine in my arms barked merrily as a groan escaped my lips as I forced myself to sit up straight.

"Dee!"

I opened my eyes to a bleary Buddy racing towards my landing zone.

"I'm alright, I'm alright," I moaned. "How's Dogwood?"

A cheery yip gave me my answer.

"Tell you what, Buddy," I said. "We'll take shifts. Your turn."

Needless to say that had to be the worst idea in the history of mankind. With all the fuss downstairs I thought that I'd never be able to sleep because of the noise and the fact that not even a thousand salaries would be enough to cover the damage...

I walked down to face the pair of troublemakers, and Buddy froze in fear.

"Dee! You should be getting some rest!"

"I can't rest with the two of you making so much noise," I sighed, sitting down in a nearby chair.

Buddy looked down.

The only sound in the house was of Dogwood whimpering from how tense the air was between the two of us.

"I'm sorry," Buddy whispered.

"It's okay. You can't really do anything about Dogwood's enthusiasm," I answered, not really looking at the boy across from me.

"No, I'm not just apologizing for that."

That caught my attention. I looked up to gaze at him, and he looked on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry I'm such a bother to you."

"You're not a bother."

"I am! I drop evidence, I trip when chasing bad guys, I lose your notes, I mess everything up!"

"Yes, and? What of that?"

"Can't you see? I'm useless! A bother! A burden! I... could disappear because of how unimportant I am to you!"

"Where are you going with this?"

"I don't think I'm very useful in your investigations..." he sighed, looking at me with tears pricking the edge of his eyes.

I rubbed the back of my neck, not quite sure how to reply to that.

"Like I said, you can't really help that."

I meant it in a "I-like-doing-stuff-myself" manner but it seems that Buddy took it the other way because he shot up suddenly and ran out. He bumped into Violet on his way out who looked at me bewildered.

"What was that about?"

"I think I hurt his feelings," I sighed. She rolled her eyes and took a quick check of Dogwood.

As she was heading out the door, she shouted, "Don't forget to apologize to him later."

"I will! ...When he gets home."

And so Dogwood and I sat there in the living room waiting for the blond to return. We waited, and waited, and waited, and there was still no sign of him.

Finally I got sick and tired of it and decided to take Dogwood for a nice little _relaxing_ walk around town.

We roamed around the city, the sights familiar to me now slightly alien in the lack of light. Dogwood explored eagerly, running from point A to Point Q to Point H to Point JIKALD.

I ended up letting him run around the park. The little guy was having so much fun that I watched him with only slight interest as I sat myself upon the cold wood of the park bench. He yipped and yelped and barked with happiness, alerting me to his location, so I was free to examine the place in further detail.

From how the paint peeled off I was guessing that the mayor was once again misusing the people's tax money and not using it on helpful stuff (like a library). Near the gate a black pick-up was parked, a car that I hadn't seen before. There were hundreds scratches upon it, along with a dented hood and a cracked windshield, leading to the conclusion that either the person who owened this car was a really bad driver or he trusted the poor vehicle to the wrong people. Poppy's flower stand was devoid of its flowers, as it had been for the colder months of the winter, but I knew that she was planning on selling some spring flowers as soon as they bloomed. The fountain had some new cracks in its base and seemed as though it wouldn't last too much longer without a repair job. These and a few more minor details caught my eye as I attempted to keep me mind off the cold.

A couple hours passed and, tired and slightly freezing, I call the pooch to take him back home. Dogwood ran up to me only to be snatched up by a dark figure with horns. I ran towards him only to find the figure moving away from me and towards the park entrance where the pick-up lay in waiting. I heard the rustling of cloth and a thud followed by a weak whine. They just threw him into a sack!

I was about to run towards the mysterious person when an accomplice grabbed me from behind and pinned my arms behind me. I screamed, not out of fear, but of frustration. Could this night get any worse?

Apparently Buddy heard me as I saw him running through the park gate. Behind him I saw what seemed to be a person holding a metal pipe. A million emotions ran through my head at that moment, anxiety, worry, but most of all, terror. What was he thinking? But before I could tell him to watch out, a cloth was pressed against my face, forcing me to inhale whatever they put in it.

Guessing from the sweet scent, it was probably chloroform. I couldn't fight it, and I felt my body shut down slowly, painfully slow. I never felt so helpless before.

...No, I have, and just like before, I couldn't do anything.

My last sight before I passed out was of the pipe slowly closing in on Buddy's head...

* * *

Which now brings me to my current situation. I was tied up in the corner of a warehouse, probably downtown seeing that this particular warehouse was taller than it was wide. Beside me was Dogwood tied up and locked in a cage. In front of me was the idiot who staged this whole ordeal. She's off on a rant about something. Nothing important, though. You know, a typical "Hahaha-I'm-gonna-take-over-the-world" villain speech.

I was beginning to wonder if this girl had an off switch to her or something. Are people really supposed to be that energetic? And over something as trivial as this...

"Hey!" the lady growled. "Pay attention! I'm in middle of telling you my plans for world domination!"

"Right, like I'm going to listen to some half-wit rant on and on and on."

"Half-wit! How dare you-"

"Yeah, yeah. What do you need the dog for anyway? This is...what? How many times now, Dogwood?"

In response I got twelve barks back.

"The twelfth time he's been kidnapped. If I didn't know any better I'd say that he's a canine Mary Jane."

"Aha, see, you don't seem to know that dogs, as viile creatures as they are, are-"

"And what's with the ridiculous outfits? Red and black are not your colors, ma'am."

"W-WHAT? Y-YOU-!"

"And Shirley can surely make better hairstyles than that. What were you going for? The dev-"

"SILENCE!"

"I REFUSE!"

"YOU WILL BE SILENT!"

"I WILL NOT!"

"YOU _WILL_ KNEEL TO THE SOON-TO-BE-MOST-POWERFUL-MAN-ON EARTH!"

"..."

"Ha! Scared out of your wits?"

"...You're a guy?"

"WHAT? OF COURSE I AM A GUY!"

And the two of us had a shouting match that continued on until both of our throats were hoarse.

After we caught our breath, we glared daggers at each other before his face slid into a sinister grin.

"You're not a very...bright detective, are you?"

_'Just for now pride. Go die.'_

"And? What about it?"

"You see, dogs are man's best friend for a reason."

"Your point being?"

"I'm saying that their thoughts are rather close to ours, my dear. And so, by usuing this canine..."

"...Usuing? What's that? And you have the audacity to call me stupid?"

"...Audacity?"

"...You're not very learned, are you?"

"S-Shut up! Everyone makes mistakes! Now continuing on, by the use of this canine's thoughts, I can finally test out...THIS!"

A lady in a red jumpsuit similar to the one my torturer was wearing pulled the cloth off of a table behind him to reveal some pointy black thing. When I pointed out as much he screamed something about not being able to appreciate fine art. He went on to ramble about something supposedly connected to nightmares and how if this worked he'd...do something. I tuned him out after the first ten minutes and began focusing on the man himself in more detail.

If I were to stand up he'd be a foot and a half taller than me. (...Not that that was impressive. I was...kinda...short. Yeah.) I couldn't catch his face due to the dark, but his outfit, I'll admit, was awesome. It was a red tailcoat with black cobwebs decorating its corners on top of a pair of red pinstrip dress slacks and shoes that were originally white but then had red paint splattered over it. Unfortunately, his hairstyle sorta killed it. It was gelled up to the point where it formed two satanic horns. Not only that, but what may have once been jet black had dulled to streaks of grey.

I broke out of my little observational trance to catch, "...and that is how I, Morcubus, shall have the world kneel in terror at my feet!"

"Thaaaaat's nice and all, but mind letting me go now? Your ropes are starting to itch."

"You impudent little-! Well, if this isn't enough to scare you, then how about I do this!"

Morcubus gave me a swift kick to the stomach, which hurt like heck, let me tell you. I fell to the floor, coughing, trying to suppress the pain I felt so that the man would have no satisfaction. He gave another kick, and another, until pain completely contorted my features. Laughing maniacally, he stepped on my head.

"Well? How does it feel, my dear? Regret what you said yet? Don't worry, this is only the beg-"

"L-Leave Dee alone!"

The next few instances were a blur. A familiar red hoodie blurred as it raced by along with a few cops. The blond tackled Morcubus, sending both of them to the floor, growling and fighting. I'd never seen such an angry Buddy before in my life. (Then again, I hadn't known him for that long. But I never imagined him being that mad. Ever.) The two of them clawed at each other, and soon blood spilled. I screamed at the cops to hurry up and go help him, but they were dealing with the subordinates that stayed behind to fight. The remaining lackies were promptly chased away by the sight of the blue uniforms.

I can't quite tell who's butt was kicked but someone was howling about their behind being sore, along with proclamations that I'd rue the day I ever messed with Morcubu-wah!

As soon as it was over, Buddy, who was a total wreck, was by my side, squeezing out whatever life the ropes hadn't already, crying.

"Buddy...it's okay now. Let go...it hurts..."

"I was so scared..." he sobbed. "I-I'm so useless! I can't help on investigations...I couldn't help out with Dogwood...I couldn't s-stop them at the park..."

A kind officer was generous enough to cut my rope. I tugged the things off and then pulled the blond into my embrace.

"It's not your fault, Buddy...really. I wouldn't be safe right now if you weren't here."

"I...I...I hate how useless I am!"

A slap rang out. The palm of my hand stung at the sight of the red mark on the boy's cheek, but I glared at him anyway.

"Buddy! Listen, will you! You are _not_ useless. You are not unimportant. You are not a burden! You are my very precious partner. And nothing should ever make you doubt that fact. Understand?"

He nodded numbly before he stared at me. Then came the waterworks. I held him in a tight embrace.

"Shh...It's okay, it's okay..."

And he lay crying on my lap for the rest of the night.

Dogwood returned to his proper owners the next morning. Violet and Poppy both fussed over my bandages but I assured them that, for the most part, I was okay.

As for Buddy he didn't acknowledge my existance when I came home from the errand. He was absorbed in my _A __Study in Scarlet_. I smiled softly as I tapped him on the shoulder.

"What'cha up to?"

"I, um, just wanted to study up! I want to be of more help to you on your cases."

"That's great. Except reading Sherlock Holmes may not get you anywhere."

"Oh, I just thought..."

"...Why don't you join me up on the roof tonight?"

"T-The roof? Didn't you tell me that it was off limits before?"

"Grab a coat. It'll be cold."

"R-Right!"

The two of us headed upstairs and we began to read our respective books. I closed myself off from the world as I immersed myself into London, back when Holmes prowled about...

* * *

_He is not a bad fellow, though an absolute imbecile in his profession. He has one positive virtue. He is as brave as a bulldog and as tenacious as a lobster if he gets his claws upon anyone.

* * *

_

I closed the book and took a glance over to the boy who had fallen asleep next to me. Smiling, I put it down and carried him down to his bedroom and tucked him in.

As I moved a lock of hair from his face I thought, _'Buddy is more complex than I thought, huh, Holmes? After all, what person is as one-sided as that?'_

Smiling silently, I slipped out of the room, the door creaking softly behind me.


End file.
